NICU Mother
by I shipp lizter
Summary: Esme came into the hospital one day and couldn't take her eyes off of the newborn babies. So Carlisle gets her a job in the N.I.C.U, as a nighttime mother. Esme loves it, but when the child reminds her to much of her own, will she fall apart? Will she open up to the mother of the child, about her past? Esme & Carlisle's POV's. Post Breaking Dawn.
1. Chapter 1

**Carlisle's POV**

I was on my break. I was sitting in my office, flipping through several papers. There was a knock at my door,

"Come in" I said, setting down the papers. A woman opened the door and peered in,

"Doctor Cullen, there's someone here to see you," She said, "she's waiting at the front,"

"Alright, Thank you," I said, standing up and heading to the waiting room. I got there and there was no one there. Then I picked up the scent of my wife. Why would she be here? I followed her scent down a darkened hallway. I peered around the corner, and saw a shadowed figure standing in front of a large window. She was looking in the window at the newborn babies. Her fingers was gently touching the window as she leaned against the window frame. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. Her gaze never leaving the babies.

"What brings you here?" I asked, She turned around in my arms.

"I just missed you," she said. I bent down and kissed her. Then she looked up at me and smiled. She turned back to look in the window, and sighed, "They're just so cute," she said. My arms tightened around her and she leaned back against me. " I miss him," was all she said. I knew exactly what she was talking about. Over the years since Renesmee joined the family, Esme had opened up more about her baby. She continued, "You know, its sad that I don't even remember what it was like to hold him," she said. I got an idea.

"Wait here, I'll be back in a minute," I said. She looked at me, confused, before I rushed off. I went in behind the secretary's desk and shuffled through several papers, before finding what I was looking for. I rushed back to Esme. "Here," I said, handing her the papers to her.

"What is it?" she asked, Taking the papers from my hand.

"You wanna hold a newborn. Then read and sign," I said. She looked down and her eyes scanned over the paper. She read the title aloud,

"N.I.C.U V.M Form?" she said, "Whats that?" She asked, wonder filling her eyes.

"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - Volunteer Mother Form. People volunteer to be nurses for the premature babies. Mainly because the mothers are still recovering from surgery, and because they can't be here 24/7 afterwards. Its night shifts so we'd be here together. You can do it if you want." I said. She looked up at me. I was scared that I had upset her, but instead her arms were around my neck and her lips on mine. She broke the kiss and looked at me again,

"Oh, Carlisle, Thank you," she said, letting go of me. I handed her one of my pens and she signed it. I took the paper back, and signed it myself, then folded it, to be filed. "When do I start?" she asked, eagerly. I laughed,

"Right now, if your not busy," I said. Her eyes lit up,

"Yay," she squealed. I took her hand and took her to the NICU reception. Laura, the receptionist was there,

"Good evening, Doctor Cullen, What brings you here?" she asked.

"Hello, Laura. I actually have a new V.M for you," I said, handing her the papers, and looking over at my wife. Laura took the papers, scanning them over. She looked up, smiling at Esme,

"Mrs. Cullen, you can come with me," she said. I kissed Esme on the cheek,

"Have fun, love" I said before heading back to my office.

**Esme's POV**

I followed Laura into a room, filled with lots of machines and some furniture.

"You'll actually be assigned to a family, Mrs. Cullen," She said.

"Oh please, call me Esme," I said.

"Ok, Esme. I'll show you what to do and how to handle the baby, so the tubes don't tangle. We'll just wash up first," she said, Laura showed me how to wash my hands and arms in the necessary steps, even though vampires don't have germs. I had to put on a hospital gown to cover my clothes as well. Then we walked over to a large case, covered with a blue blanket, "Have you ever worked in a NICU before, Esme?" she asked, I shook my head. "Alright, then I must warn you that what you are about to see, is disturbing to some people," she said before moving the blankets. Indeed it was, but it was more heartbreaking to see the poor child with tubes and wires stick out everywhere. And the fact that it was enclosed in a case with only two large holes in the side. The poor thing was so tiny. He had to be only a few pounds. "Stick your hands in these holes and I'll show you what to do," Laura said. She explained that I could touch the child but he couldn't be held yet. I stroked the child's arm. It was about as thick as my thumb. Laura moved next to me to watch, "Poor thing. He's three months premature. 3 lbs 8 oz." she said,

"What's his name?" I asked.

"No name yet. His parents didn't know the gender and the did't tell us what names they had picked. His mother is still sleeping from surgery." she explained. Suddenly the child whimpered,

"What's wrong sweetie?" I asked, like any mother would.

"Probably hungry. You can feed him, if you'd like," Laura offered. I nodded and she showed me how to use the feeding tube. Laura soon left me there to watch. I probably stood there all night, gently touching the child. My heart ached for the poor thing, as I tried to keep my mind off my own baby boy. Over the past few years I had, 'grown quite emotional stronger', as Carlisle calls it. My thoughts were interrupted by Carlisle's voice,

"Esme, we have to go home," He said. I sighed, and left the child in the hands of the day nurse. Laura stopped me on the way out,

"Esme, I won't be here tomorrow so you'll need this," she said, handing me a V.M badge with the room number on it.

"Thank you," I said, before leaving with Carlisle.

* * *

**AN: Will continue the story, don't worry.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Carlisle's POV**

I was getting ready for my next shift. I threw on my jacket and picked up my medical bag,

"Esme, are you coming?" I said, wondering where she could be. A second later she was at the bottom of the stair case, with a huge smile on her face.

"It's not me, but if its necessary, it's ok," she said looking down at herself, with doubt. She was wearing black scrub pants, a black long sleeved shirt with a purple scrub top that had a V-neck on it. She had white running shoes on, and her brown hair was up in a gentle ponytail. I smiled,

"You still look beautiful," I said, as she grabbed her coat and bag. I held the door for her and we headed for the hospital.

We had been on the road for a few minutes, take our sweet time, when she sighed. I took her hand gently in mine.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, trying to keep my eyes on the road and look at her at the same time. She looked over at me, trying to hide something in her eyes.

"It's nothing Carlisle," she said. I gave her a loving, yet sceptical look,

"We've been married for 90 years, love. I know you better than you think," I said, smiling at the end. She took an unneeded breathe,

"I just can't stop thinking about him" she said in a quiet voice. I knew who she meant. She put her head on my shoulder, and held my arm.

"Shh," I soothed. She closed her eyes and just breathed deeply until we got to the hospital.

I held the car door for her and put my arm around her as we entered the building. She left her stuff in my office and I walked with her to the N.I.C.U. We walked into the room, and the nightshift nurse was there.

"Hello, Esme! ! " she greeted us. Esme let go of my hand and walked over to the incubator, and lifted up the blanket, a smiled coming across her face,

"Hello Sarah," Esme said,

"How is he?" I asked, moving closer to my wife.

"Wonderful. His breathing has improved greatly, although he coughed a little during the day," Sarah said. I looked over at Esme, who's smile fell a bit at the word 'cough'. But she quickly composed herself. She turned to the Sarah,

"So have they decided his name yet?" she asked.

"Ummm... Oh," Sarah thought before noticing a name tag at the end of the case, and pointing to it. Esme walked around to the end and looked at it for a second, before I saw her face fall again. She turned to us,

"Can y-you excuse me..for a minute," she said, putting her hand to her forehead and walking out, at a human speed, as fast as she could. I walked around to the end of the incubator and looked down at the name tag. 'William. P' is what it read. Oh. Not good.

"I'll go see what's wrong," I said, leaving the room, following my wife's scent. I found her around the corner, crouched down, leaning against the wall, with her head in her hand, dry sobbing. I rushed over, standing her up and wrapping her in my arms. She buried her face in my white coat. Her body shaking as she sobbed. She eventually calmed down and looked up at me, "I'm sorry," I said,

"Why are you apologizing? you didn't do anything," she said,

"Because I made you go through something like that," I said.

"Carlisle, it was purely coincidence. And I'm ok now." she said. I pulled her into a hug, believing her, and then we walked back in.

**Esme's POV**

I walked back into the room, with my husband. Sarah looked up and smiled, She motioned for me to come over, while Carlisle stay near the door. I looked into the incubator, and then back up at Sarah,

"Wanna hold him?" she asked sweetly.

"Really?" I asked with disbelief.

"Ya, you can," she said. I looked down at the baby and then back at her before smiling and nodding. She opened up the incubator, and lifted the baby out, wrapping him in a blanket. I moved close to the incubator to hold him, because the tubes were fairly long. Sarah placed him in my arms and I looked down at the tiny sleeping child. I tried to be as gentle as a vampire could. One twitch of my finger and I could snap the child in half like a twig. Looking down at him made my world feel almost complete again. It was the same feeling that had come over me the first time I looked at Renesmee. I smiled and never left the face of the baby. The child whimpered, and my smile fell, needing to know what was upsetting him.

"Shhh, William," I soothed, gently stroking my finger along his face. He stopped. But whimpered again as my hand left his face. I touched it again, realizing the child must be hot, and my cold skin must have felt nice. I opened up the blanket just a little, and he relaxed, falling back to his deep slumber. A voice interrupted my thought,

"Your so good with him," a woman said. She was standing a few feet from me, but stepped closer. She was wearing a hospital gown and had dark circles around her eyes. "Hey sweetie," she said, gently touching the babies face. I moved a little closer to her and handed the baby off to her. She smiled and stared down at the child. I looked up at her, watching as she held her baby. I stood next to her for a few minutes, before she handed the baby back to me, and I put him back in the incubator. Carlisle came over,

"My shift is starting," he said, kissing my cheek,

"Bye" I said as he left. I sat down on the soft, next to this woman.

"Esme Cullen," I said, extending my hand. She shook it.

"Katrina Platt," she said. My eyes widened. Platt!

"Is your father by and chance, Peter Platt?" I asked. She looked at me in shock,

"How did you know?" she asked.

"He's my.. Great Uncle..." I said, stuttering. Peter was actually my cousin on my mothers side. I found out he was born in 1931. 10 years after Carlisle changed me.

"So your maiden name is Platt. That is so cool," Katrina said, "You should meet my father," she said.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea. My husband and family move a lot," I said, coming up with the best excuse I could.

"Oh" she said, "Ok. It's was nice to meet a family member. Were you named after a family member? I mean I did my research on names in the Platt family to look for baby names, and I found that same name. I found out she had a baby, who died from some circumstance, and because my baby went through the same difficulties, I decided, William would be a good fit" she told me. If I could cry, I would have broken down by now. But I kept my composure.

"That's was so sweet of you. And yes I was named after my... Grandmother," I lied. "William was my Uncle, on my fathers side." I lied again, knowing she would never be able to piece together this messed up family tree I was creating.

"That's really nice" Katrina said. We talked for most of the night. "It's just unfortunate how it happened." she sighed, "it's really sad actually. Would you like to know?" she asked. It seemed as if she wanted to tell me. I nodded cautiously, as she began. "I got married young, 20 actually. And I my marriage was happy for about four years, until one day I told my husband I was pregnant, expecting the happiest reaction, but he wasn't happy about it. We yelled at each other for hours over getting an abortion. It eventually ended, because he slapped me in the face, and then walked out. I fled that night, to go live with my cousin-in-law. A few days ago, my temperature spiked and I passed out from dehydration. They had to deliver the baby early or I would lose it, because they wouldn't be able to replace the fluids fast enough. It was your husband who treated me, actually. Yesterday I got a letter from my ex husband saying that he knew where I was and he was coming to take me home. My cousin was murdered the day she brought me in. I suspect my ex husband did it. And Esme... I'm just so scared. I don't want to be with him, or hurt my baby." She was bawling like a baby into my arms. I couldn't believe it. She was basically going through what I went through. I was about to say something when she added, "If William didn't make it, I probably would have killed myself,". My heart broke at her words. She was going through EXACTLY what I went through. I pulled her closer and sobbed silently myself.

* * *

**AN: To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Carlisle's POV**

My shift was almost over, so I cleaned up the papers in my office, and when to go find my wife. I wandered the halls on my way to the N.I.C.U. I knocked softly on the door, but no one answered so I stepped in quietly.. Esme was standing next to the incubator, holding the baby. I could hear her shushing the baby softly whenever he whimpered. Katrina, was sleeping in the corner, on the bed. I stood at the door and watched my wife. It was like watching Rosalie, when Renesmee was a child. I strained to hear my wife as I heard her singing a lullaby. It was the most heartwarming feeling to see her so happy and content with herself. I slowly walked up behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist and placed my other hand on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at me. I kissed her on the cheek and we bother turned our attention to the child. I noticed how he shared a few of the same carmel colored hairs, that Katrina had, and Esme, before she colored it. We were yet to know his eye color. I pulled my wife closer, just enjoying this togetherness. It was silent for a minute, until a Sarah came into the room, telling Esme that her shift was over,

"Ok," Esme sighed, as she set the baby back into the incubator, and said her goodbyes. We walked out, my arm around her shoulder.

We drove home, and Esme was silent the entire way. It worried me. She just stared out the window of the Mercedes, and breathed slowly. We pulled into the driveway and she bolted from the car, before the garage door was even down. Leaving her stuff in the car. I was extremely worried now. I grabbed both of our things, and walked to the house. My children were in the living room. Nessie cuddling with Jake on the couch. The rest had the same worried look as me.

"What's wrong with mom?" Bella asked, standing up.

"I don't know. Where did she go?" I asked.

"In your room. Don't bother her." Alice said plainly, eyes never leaving the pages of her magazine. I debated in my mind, agreeing to leave her for a little while.

"Good choice" Edward said, no doubt hearing my thoughts. I exhaled in defeat and sat down on the empty love seat. My head fell to my hands. My fingers curling into my hair. What could have happened that made her be like this?

"You can as her in five minutes," Edward's voice interrupted my thoughts. I sat there watching the clock. Every minute slowing ticking by. Another wasted minute I could have used to comfort my wife.

**Esme's POV **

I sat on my bed in my uniform, not being able to find the desire to change. I was looking out the window in the bedroom, watching the sun rise between the trees. I thought about Katrina. All the pain she was going though. The fear she would be thrown back into the clutches of her husband. My mind wandered to 1920,

_"Charles! Oww!" I screamed as he twisted my arms behind my back, and applied more pressure. _

_"Now!" he hissed in my ear, "Would like to rephrase that?!" he spat. He had come home late and drunk. I had let my mouth get the best of me, and I had said he was always late and the alcohol as getting the best of him. No quicker than I spoke, he had my arms pinned in the classic chicken wing position. He applied even more pressure, making it unbearable._

_"I'm sorry!" I screamed in pain, tears rolling down my face. He let go, shoving me to the floor in the process. I collapsed on the floor and cried in pain. That night in bed had been the worse of all._

"Esme?" Carlisle's soothing voice brought me back to the present. He was sitting next to me on the bed. I looked over at him. "Love? What's the matter?" he asked. I fell into his arms and buried myself into him, never wanting him to let go of me.

"That poor woman," was all I could say.

"Katrina?" he asked. I nodded, "What's wrong with her?" he asked. I told him everything Katrina had told me. By the time I was done, my body was shaking from the dry sobbing I was doing.

"Esme, I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do," Carlisle said. I looked up at him,

"We can take her in. Carlisle, her husband is coming for her as soon as you release her from the hospital. We have to do something. Please!" I begged him. He looked at me,

"We'll consider that when we get to that point, Ok?" he said. I nodded. If there was any chance I could help Katrina, I would.


	4. Chapter 4

**Carlisle's POV**

(4 month's later)

Today was the day. Katrina and William would be released. William's had grown quite a lot, and he was now the size and weight of a normal 3 week old newborn baby. Esme had been working with Katrina and the baby the entire time. She had never missed a shift. Esme had feared this day, but we had talked to the children and we decided on a plan. I walked into the N.I.C.U and Esme was bottle feeding William, while Katrina was packing her things. I looked at my wife and smiled, but she didn't smile back. Her eyes met mine and she feared that Katrina would reject our formal proposal.

"Katrina? I have your and the baby's released papers," I said. She looked up at me, the pain and fear in her eyes were clear. She sighed,

"Thank you" she said, taking them and signing them. I took them back. Esme took a deep breath and stood up,

"Katrina? I know you don't want to leave, but the baby is ready to go." she said.

"It's not that I don't want to leave. I just don't have anywhere to go. I'm homeless now." Katrina said. Esme looked up at me. I nodded, letting her know she could tell Katrina.

"Katrina. Your not homeless. Why don't you come live with our family. You would love it. Besides, what is family for?" Esme said. Katrina's eyes widened in shock,

"Really?! Oh my god. Thank you," She said, wrapping her arms around Esme, trying not to crush the baby.

"Your welcome," She said. She set the baby down in the carrier, and tucked him in.

"Our shifts are over soon, so I'll go file these and meet you two by the car," I said. They smiled and began to chat as I walked out.

I met them by my car. Esme was securing the carrier into it's holder in the back seat and Katrina was lifting her suit cases into the trunk.

"Ready to go?" I asked, walking up to the vehicle,

"Yep," Katrina said. We got into the car and headed home. I held my wife's hand as I drove us home.

We pulled up to the house and the car were all gone. The kids must have gone out. I carried in the bags in as the women dealt with the child.

**Esme's POV**

"Your the best," Katrina said. I pulled the carrier from the holder in the back seat. I passed it off to her.

"Your welcome. And you can stay as long as you need to," I said. I hugged her tight. She was my family, and I would do everything to keep her safe.

* * *

**The End.**


End file.
